The best way to see the Sumidero Canyon it is by both boat and car in order to have a complete experience of it. You can either do everything on your own by renting a car (and then hiring a boat tour at the dock) or by hiring a tour departing from either Tuxtla Gutierrez or San Cristobal de las Casas.

Last year, my friend I were kindly invited by Eco Experiencias to visit the Sumidero Canyon with them. A full day tour will cost you around 50 USD including the boat tour, the lookouts and the magical town of Chiapas del Corzo.

The Waterfall of Wonders at the Sumidero Canyon

A Boat Journey of Wonders to the Sumidero Canyon

To embark on a bot journey to the Sumidero Canyon, you need to go to Chiapas del Corzo, a magical town found 50KM west of San Cristobal de las Casas (and 11 KM away from Tuxtla Gutierrez).

Here you shall find many embarcaderos (embarkments) from where you can start your boat journey. The price is 230 MXN (12 USD give or take), this price covers both the boat journey and the CONAP conservation fee (keep the bracelet!!!).

The impressive rock formations of the Sumidero Canyon

The boat journey to the Sumidero Canyon will take you about 2 to 3 hours in which you can see the impressive height of the rock formations as well as some wildlife such as crocodiles (don’t try to pet or feed them!!!) and even a spider monkey that, for some reason, was brought here from a nearby zoo (no, I’m not kidding, spider monkeys aren’t even native to this area of Mexico!!!).

Sadly, you will also find tons of pollution and plastic bottles which are the results of all the garbage that is carried here by nearby towns and cities. More motivation to try to live a plastic-free life uh?

PS. Be sure to choose a seat at the front of the boat (because yes, EVERYONE in the boat will try to stand up to take the perfect shot shown above) and enjoy my wonder friends!

What a friendly innocent looking fellow

The Miradores (Lookouts) of the Sumidero Canyon

After the amazing boat journey to see the Sumidero Canyon from the bottom, it is now time to drive through the many miradores (lookouts) of the Sumidero Canyon to see it from the top my wonder friends.

The road to the miradores of the Sumidero Canyon (20 KM drive from Chiapas del Corzo) is a fairly new road built specifically for ecotourism purposes so there’s a conservation fee of 34 MXN (close to 2 USD).

However, you already paid for this conservation fee during the boat journey so just show your bracelet at the toll booth and enjoy.

A visit to the Sumidero Canyon isn’t complete without the panoramic viewpoints

Alongside the road there are many stops for the panoramic viewpoints of which the following 5 are the most emblematic ones: La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, El Tepehuaje and the Atalaya (Watchtower). In this last one you will find a souvenir shop and free toilets so yeah…please don’t do your needs on the road.

Droning in the Sumidero Canyon is perfectly allowed, however please bear in mind that because of the height, winds can be extremely strong (my tripod almost flew away with my camera on it!!!) so unless you’re willing to take the high risk, I would actually not suggest you to fly in here.

The Man of Wonders at the Sumidero Canyon

Where to stay in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

As I mentioned before, San Cristobal de las Casas is the best base of operations for Ecotourism in Chiapas since unlike, Tuxtla Gutierrez, it is actually quite a pretty town itself with plenty of things to do and see.

During my most recent stay in San Cristobal de las Casas I was kindly hosted at the Casa Lum Boutique Hotel, an Eco Luxury property that will enchant of all of your senses with its beautiful decoration, its lush garden and of course, the view you can get of the city from the rooftop terrace. Read a full review of Casa Lum here.

You can make a booking for this and more properties via our Booking.com Affiliate Link of Wonders! Same price for you and a small pocket money commission for this website of yours. Sweet deal, uh?

The magical colors of Casa Lum in San Cristobal de las Casas

I hope you have enjoyed this article about the best things to do and see in the Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas. Don’t forget to subscribe in order to get more awesome updates and tips straight to your e-mail!

Have you ever been to the Sumidero Canyon? Would you like to? What were some of your favorite things to do and see in the Sumidero Canyon? Share your thoughts and let me know what you think!